CBS chief defends 'moderate' Colbert

4/30/14 6:11 PM EDT

CBS chief Les Moonves tried to calm fears that incoming "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert has a liberal bias, telling a crowd that the comedian is actually a political moderate.

"You know what? Ironically, Stephen Colbert is much more moderate than people think he is," Moonves said Wednesday at the Milken Institute Global Conference. "He's a great social commentator, and that's sort of what we want. That's sort of what David Letterman has been."

Influential conservatives like Bill O'Reilly criticized CBS's decision to give Letterman's chair to the host of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report." Rush Limbaugh even went so far as to accuse the network of declaring "war on the heartland of America."

In his remarks, Moonves said he would "respectfully disagree with that assessment of who Stephen Colbert is."

Colbert, who will take over for Letterman next year, will host the show as himself, not as the mock O'Reilly character he plays on Comedy Central.